Didn't you go to Teyvat to earn money to support me?

“Men, shut up. This is none of your business,” Maria said.

Shen Liang's arrogance weakened instantly, but she still spoke up defiantly: "Even if you hit me, I will still say it. I will never break up with Sister Anna. This is a matter of principle."

"You still have principles? If you had principles, would you have seduced so many women?" Maria ignored her son and looked at Anna, who was biting her lip with a fierce expression. After looking at her for a while, she laughed. "You've been thinking about what you just said for a long time, haven't you?"

"I just said it on a whim!" Anna decided to go all out, holding her head high and refusing to back down.

"Aren't you afraid I'll get angry if you reopen old wounds in front of the hot-tempered witch Maria?"

Anna clearly showed fear, but she still gritted her teeth and gripped Shen Liang's hand tightly. "I... I won't break up with Pandora's brother... Even if you want to punish me, Lady Maria, I won't give in."

"That's the son-in-law Her Highness the Holy Maiden has her eye on. Are you really that bold?" Maria narrowed her eyes.

“Pandora’s brother is also my… my boyfriend.” Anna felt the pressure from the S-rank Valkyrie and trembled with fear. She was not strong enough to begin with, and now even the courage to speak was almost worn away, but she still stubbornly repeated, “my boyfriend.”

“It seems you really are unwilling to give up your position,” Maria said calmly. “Then there’s really nothing we can do.”

Shen Liang panicked immediately. He had never realized that the Shaniat family was such a hierarchical place. He felt he had underestimated the dark side of this family! What were they trying to do? Were they going to kidnap Anna? Break up the couple? How did they plan to do it? Damn it, he knew that the warmth of this large family was just a facade!

The teleportation barrier opened directly, and Shen Liang had even activated his Sea God bloodline to escape from Maria's suppression and take Anna with him—Anna also had a holy mark on her body. He hadn't tried it, but she should be able to enter the teleportation barrier as well—at this moment, Maria was still kneeling on him, suppressing his resistance.

Anna quickly went on alert, glanced at her boyfriend who was powerless to resist, and began preparing to activate Honkai energy.

“What an ingrate!” Maria suddenly said.

The two of them were stunned.

“Look at your dear brother. I’ve protected him for so long, and he calls me ‘Mommy’ all the time, but when it really comes down to choosing between two options, he acts like a heartless ingrate, determined to stall me.” Maria lowered her head, watching her son’s expression shift from resolute and sharp to embarrassed. “From beginning to end, he didn’t even consider my feelings for a second. He was thinking about his girlfriend the whole time… It really annoys me.”

Shen Liang felt his mother subtly press her knees harder, even hindering Hua Haiyue's movement. He could only quickly force a smile and say, "It's not because you're stronger than both of us combined, Mom. I'm just more concerned about the vulnerable."

Anna looked at Maria with a hint of confusion, her expression shifting from extreme coldness to a sudden thaw. "You...aren't you going to do anything?"

Maria grabbed Anna by the ear and pulled her up, making her cry in pain. "I told you from the beginning, I'm here to do some ideological work. Why are you two treating me like a villain for no reason? Hitting me? Would I hit someone like you? You're not my son, how could I hit you? My sister would kill me if she knew I dared to bully the family like this!"

So you can have an abortion without worry because of your son?

"Then you are..."

"Did I say I wanted you to break up?" Maria snorted, looking at the beret-wearing girl who was rubbing her red earlobes and looked like she was about to cry, and felt a little emotional.

Anna is indeed a beauty. Unlike the cheerful Kiana and the haughty Sirin, she is gentle, aloof, and even a bit of a pushover. No wonder Shen Liang loves and relies on her so much. To truly betray such a girl would be too much of a guilt.

Young people are young; how could family compare to their love? They might even be so impulsive as to prepare to fight her… Ha, who hasn't been that impulsive at that age?

“I’ve never said anything about you having to break up,” Maria said. “In fact, there’s a normal way to resolve this. We’re just worried that you’re young and impulsive and might cause some trouble, so we’re here to give you a warning first.”

"Warning?" Shen Liang and Anna were confused.

“First, regarding inheriting the family position, I know you might not care, Pandora, but Kiana and the others have to. Therefore, you cannot marry Anna before you marry the daughter of the main family, to ensure the daughter's inheritance rights.” Maria looked at the two seriously. “This should be easy, right? Anna, you have no objections, do you?”

Anna nodded quickly. She had no objection to this. In fact, as long as she wasn't forced to break up now, she didn't care about the wedding.

As for Shen Liang's opinion, neither of the two beauties paid any attention. Just kidding, this problem is all because of you! You stinky man have no right to negotiate; you can only obediently wait for the girls to decide!

"Secondly, it's still about the inheritance rights within the family. You two can't have children before a child belonging to the family is born." Maria blinked her beautiful eyes. "Of course, this should be simple. After all, Pandora won't reach the legal marriage age in China for several more years, so I'm not worried about you... Have you taken precautions?"

Her second question came out of nowhere, and her tone rose considerably, because she clearly noticed that the expressions of the boy and girl in front of her were not very pleasant when she got to this point.

"We'll still use it on more dangerous days," Shen Liang whispered. At this point, it was still up to the man to speak, because Anna was too shy to say anything with her face flushed.

"..."

Maria sighed helplessly. She was too naive, underestimating the curiosity of teenage boys and girls. "Didn't your biology teachers in China teach you that even during the safe period, there's still a chance of getting pregnant if you don't take precautions?"

"I went to primary school in the Siberian orphanage. There was no biology teacher there. Bronya's mother taught biology classes in her place..."

"Isn't this taught in Siberia?!"

Maria frantically grabbed her son's collar. Damn it, she knew this seemingly innocent, harmless, long-haired, handsome young man was just a facade, and she knew he was essentially a ruthless, indiscriminate predator. But… but… didn't he know he looked younger than his age? The family had originally planned to wait ten years before considering having children! Damn it, you've only been at Neuschwanstein Castle for three months, you bastard!

If I'd known, who would have wanted to adopt you as their son?! How am I supposed to face Shigure Kira?! How am I supposed to tell her I'm about to become a grandmother?

Shen Liang was shaken so hard he didn't dare to reply. To some extent, he was indeed spoiled too much by Anna.

"At least there's no problem now, right?" Maria thought wearily.

“Anna checks every day, there’s definitely no…”

"It's good that it's not, sigh." Maria sighed, "If she had a daughter before marrying Kiana and the others, the Shaniat family would really lose face... The whole world would laugh at the Saintess's daughter for not being able to keep her own boyfriend, and my sister—damn it, my sister would just laugh so hard she'd fall over, while I'm the only one worrying about Kiana and Sirin! What am I doing this for!"

Seeing Maria swear, Shen Liang lowered his head, exchanged a glance with Anna, and both stuck out their tongues.

Crisis resolved.

If it were just a matter of not being able to get married or have children, Shen Liang and Anna could accept it. They were already in a secret relationship, and now it's at least an "officially acknowledged" secret relationship.

Although I might still feel a little sorry for Kiana.

"So, you and Mom both approve of my relationship with Anna?"

“What else can we do if she doesn’t agree? At worst, my sister can talk to her daughter about it in the future. Anyway, I’m not coming.” Maria shrugged. “The fact that you’re a man and a superhuman proves that Anna can’t be the last one. I just didn’t expect you to act a little too quickly. Don’t worry, my sister’s only concern is whether her daughter can get married.”

"That's good."

Having finished his persuasive work, Shen Liang got up to see Maria out. Then he saw a group of Shaniat girls eavesdropping at the dance studio door. Seeing Maria come out, they quickly ran away and hid. After Maria disappeared, they giggled and turned back to look at Shen Liang and Anna, whispering and speculating about what they and Maria had been doing inside all day.

Shen Liang knew that the girls in the dance studio couldn't possibly hear the conversation; Maria, as an S-rank Valkyrie, could easily isolate herself from the noise.

He dragged Anna away from the girls, barely managing to escape until they reached the second-floor living area, where he finally breathed a sigh of relief. But as soon as he looked up, he saw Celine at the end of the corridor, dressed in casual clothes, with long hair reaching the ground, her golden eyes coldly fixed on him and Anna.

Chapter Four: Aren't I sixteen years old?

"The headquarters of Destiny invited the family to send people there. The construction of the international airport, in which the family has invested $1.2 billion, seems to be nearing completion."

Shen Liang reached out and pushed the drink that Lilia had poured from the coffee table to Xilin. Hearing her say this, he was a little surprised, "International Airport?"

This was in his dormitory. When Celine came to his door, he pretended to be cautious and said that he was just going the same way as Anna and let Anna go back first. Then he opened the door and let Celine in.

He didn't spend much time with Kiana's twin sister, Sirin, because although she was a bit arrogant and eccentric, she was actually one of the few very reliable people in the Schariac family. She was already in charge of the family. Her study in Neuschwanstein Castle was the head of the family's office, and her secretaries could be seen carrying documents in and out every day.

Although the matters she handles are all extremely important, the Shaniat family is vast and powerful, requiring her to personally fly around the world at least ten days a month, with her inherited 1000 always fully fueled at the family airport. To some extent, Kiana and Cecilia's carefree attitude is due to the heavy burdens borne by Sirin, Maria, and others.

Shen Liang stared at Xilin's casual clothes, which were barely covering her shorts. He wasn't looking at Xilin's long, white legs, but rather at the pure white hair pressed against her bottom. Xilin's hair reached her ankles, and Shen Liang had always wondered if she would break her hair sitting so casually...

Doesn’t she feel pain?

"Yes, Destiny has been preparing to build a super airport in the UK that can provide transit for the whole world. This project has been underway for almost ten years, and the family, as an important force of Destiny, has also contributed a lot."

"If I remember correctly, the headquarters of Destiny is in London, right? London already has five international airports, is it really necessary?" Shen Liang asked.

“London is one of the world’s busiest airports, and it’s said that airport resources are always in short supply, though that’s just hearsay.” Celine held her wine glass, staring at the cola with an iced blueberry inside, her expression conflicted. “Actually, the family did an assessment and thought that this project probably wouldn’t be very profitable, or rather, it would be a complete loss. But 1.2 billion isn’t a huge sum after all, and since it’s a rare funding need for the Destiny Headquarters, the family has generously invested.”

“1.2 billion US dollars isn’t much… Beijing’s capital international airport is only around 10 billion US dollars, yet it’s a super airport that’s directly become one of the top five in the world.” Although Shen Liang was already used to the Shaniat family’s wealth and power, he was still stunned.

“That depends on what you’re comparing it to. For example, the annual maintenance and upkeep of Neuschwanstein Castle and its surrounding estate costs a whopping $100 million, yet you don’t even notice any changes.” Celine shrugged, then pinched her nose, took a sip of her cola, and erupted in anger, “Humans! What kind of weird stuff have you given me to drink! This isn’t wine at all!”

"This is red wine, a 1991 Pepsi from a Bordeaux winery. It uses a special carbonic fermentation method, so it has a higher sugar content. Shaking it produces a lot of bubbles, which is what distinguishes it from other red wines." Lilia sat on Shen Liang's lap, her delicate face calmly lying through her teeth. "Sister Xilin, look, the wine leaves a noticeable residue on the sides of the glass after being poured out, which is a sign of its slightly higher sugar content."

Shen Liang knew that Lilia was making fun of others again. Xilin had grown up in Neuschwanstein Castle since childhood and was so pampered that she was even a bit "naive". Drinks like cola would never appear on her menu. She had probably only drunk milk, tea, coffee and red wine, which represented health or social interaction.

Therefore, she naturally couldn't tell that Lilia was seriously lying. After all, she had never attended a normal school, and with her intelligence, she could have earned all the degrees from all the universities by self-study alone.

"There's a brand called Pepsi?" Xilin looked up, staring at Shen Liang expressionlessly.

Shen Liang could only bite the bullet and cover up for his sister, "Yes, it's a rather uncommon wine, and my sister loves it because it's sweet."

“The Bordeaux wineries suffered a massive frost disaster in 1991, and the grapes did not grow well. In order not to damage the reputation of the wineries, no wine was produced that year.” Celine smiled coldly. “Moreover, the Soviet Union collapsed that year, which was unlucky, so most wineries did not have any plans to use 1991 as a selling point.”

Shen Liang and Lilia exchanged bewildered glances, while Sirin roared in fury, "Human! What on earth did you give me to drink?!"

"It's sweet soup."

Xilin didn't believe it. "How can sugar water be so pungent and strange! No, no! You poisoned it!"

Shen Liang laughed out loud, "How did I drug you?"

"Disgusting human! You actually drugged this queen! What do you intend to do?!" Sirin exclaimed in shock.

"I already told you I didn't drug you!"

"I do not believe!"

"So what kind of drug do you think I put in it?" Shen Liang laughed and asked teasingly.

Then he saw Celine's face change from anger to terror. She immediately sat cross-legged on the sofa, biting her lip, her face full of murderous intent and shame.

Shen Liang thought for a moment, then froze.

"Rotten...rotten...rotten man!" Sirin's beautiful golden eyes were filled with tears as she glared at him fiercely. "You...you really are after the Shaniat family's wealth, and you set your sights on me because you know Kiana can't get much from this family? I...I'm telling you, you'll get nothing! I...I'm not like Kiana, I'm the Queen!"

Shen Liang was completely exasperated. "What are you thinking?! Even if you really had the wrong idea, shouldn't you have used your spatial abilities to escape immediately?!"

"Since you've already set this up, you must have a backup plan! With your Pandora-like mind, there's no way you wouldn't stop me! I'd only fall into your trap if I used spatial abilities, right? Hmph, I won't fall for it!"

Seeing that Miss Xilin was already lost in her own imagination, Shen Liang sighed and simply sat back down on the sofa, hugging the soft blue-haired little girl, too lazy to explain. Xilin probably struggled internally for a while, until several minutes had passed and the drug's effects had worn off, before giving Shen Liang a suspicious look: "You really didn't drug me?"

"Sister Xilin, what are you trying to do!"

Shen Liang really didn't know why he was seen as such a scumbag in Xi Lin's eyes!

"Why can you drug Anna, but not me?" Sirin frowned. "Are you bullying the weak and fearing the strong?"

Shen Liang was both amused and exasperated. "Leaving aside why you characterize yourself as evil, I just want to ask when I drugged Sister Anna?"

"you have not?"